FEB. 21 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – A court in Tashkent convicted eight Turkish businessmen of corruption and confiscated their assets. Seven of the businessmen were amnestied and deported to Turkey. One, with joint Uzbek nationality, was sent to prison for three years. The men were arrested last year during raids on a large Tashkent supermarket.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 78, published on Feb. 23 2012)
FEB. 23 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Kyrgyzstan has developed a decent business in hosting foreign air bases.
It is the only country in the world where both the US and Russia operate separate air bases giving Kyrgyzstan strategic importance beyond its size.
But not only do the US and Russian air bases lend status, they also generate cash.
In 2009 Kyrgyzstan re-negotiated a deal with the US to allow it to keep its base at the Manas airport outside Bishkek open until the end of 2014, when NATO starts to withdraw from Afghanistan, for $60m/year.
Now it looks as if Kyrgyzstan’s new president, Almazbek Atambayev, wants to reconsider the contract with Russia. As well as the airbase at Kant, Russia also operates a torpedo testing site on Lake Issyk-Kul and two other earthquake measuring and communications centres.
In September 2010, Russia and Kyrgyzstan agreed a $4.5m/year rent for these bases but on Feb. 17 Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that Mr Atambayev might now have other ideas.
During a speech to students in Osh, Mr Atambayev reportedly said the $4.5m from Russia only covered the rent of the Kant air base and that Moscow still owed cash for the other bases.
He may have been playing to the crowd but he also knows that the military bases are one of the few tools he has to generate extra income.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 78, published on Feb. 23 2012)
FEB. 8 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – On a trip to Germany, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed around 50 deals worth €3b with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. One of the biggest deals was for German engineering company Siemens to upgrade Kazakhstan’s railways. Germany will also have access to rare metals in Kazakhstan.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 77, published on Feb. 16 2012)
FEB. 9 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – France’s defence minister, Gerard Longuet, told the magazine L’Orient Le-Jour that NATO’s logistics route through Central Asia is too expensive. NATO has earmarked the route, dubbed the Northern Distribution Network, as the best way of withdrawing soldiers and kit in 2014 from Afghanistan.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 77, published on Feb. 16 2012)
FEB. 16 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Attacks against Israeli targets in Georgia, India and Thailand and an acrimonious row between Baku and Tehran have thrown a spotlight over the relationship between the South Caucasus and Iran.
The same day that Georgian security forces disarmed a car bomb in Tbilisi another exploded in Delhi, injuring an Israeli woman (Feb. 13). Israel has blamed Iran for both attacks and another in Bangkok the following day.
Three weeks earlier the authorities in Baku arrested two Iranians for conspiring to assassinate Israeli diplomats, although Iran denied the charges.
The South Caucasus has a complex, fluid relationship with Iran.
Over the past year, much to the irritation of the US, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia have strengthened ties with Iran. Gas deals have been made, railway and air links solidified, visa regulations waived and military delegations hosted. Private business and trade links have also surged.
But behind these strengthening connections relations often remain strained.
Azerbaijan has built up good links with Israel and Georgia’s main backer is the US. Both are Iran’s sworn enemy. Armenia has more cordial ties with Iran but it also needs to be flexible.
The South Caucasus countries have to deal with their powerful neighbour but they are also wary.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 77, published on Feb. 16 2012)
FEB. 1 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – The World Bank praised Georgia for defeating corruption and said it is an example to other countries in the region. It said that anti-corruption reforms initiated by President Mikheil Saaskashvili have spiked the myth that corruption is cultural and can’t be beaten.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 76, published on Feb. 9 2012)
FEB. 6 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Around 1,400 workers at the Kumtor gold mine, which makes up around 12% of Kyrgyzstan’s national income, started a strike over new tax payments which they say their employer should pay on their behalf. Centerra Gold, the Canadian company which owns and operates the mine, said the strike was illegal.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 76, published on Feb. 9 2012)
FEB. 3 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Underlining its position as the world’s biggest uranium producer, Kazakhstan’s atomic agency Kazatomprom announced it increased uranium output by 9% in 2011. The 20,000 tonnes Kazatomprom mined in 2011 was the equivalent of about a third of the world’s total uranium production.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 76, published on Feb. 9 2012)
JAN. 31 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – After 46 days, the Kazakh authorities lifted a state-of-emergency in Zhanaozen. Zhanaozen, about two hours drive from Aktau on the Caspian Sea coast, was the focus of rioting last month. Police opened fire on protesting oil workers, killing at least 16 people.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 75, published on Feb. 2 2012)
FEB. 1 2012 (The Conway Bulletin) – Increasingly severe power cuts are hitting cities in Uzbekistan, including Tashkent, local media and eyewitnesses have reported. The authorities have blamed consumers and imposed rationing. Many residents, however, believe the government is diverting gas from domestic use to fulfil lucrative export contracts.
ENDS
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(News report from Issue No. 75, published on Feb. 2 2012)
